Uhm...I thought the sarcasm was obvious....


Z28x,
I'm 29 as well...I had a winter beater '87 Skyhawk back in '99. That car was phat, yo Baby blue, 13" whitewalls, that cool 105hp "Brazilian" 2.0 OHC engine that my grandmother blew a head gasket with in '89 with 22k miles on the same car (I kid you not). It did have the optional hidden headlights, which was neat

Yeah...Skyhawk...that'll get the blood pumping for us Gen Xers

 

Not photoshopped, but gives you an idea of what they're going to do:



I'm assuming this car is the replacement for the Chinese Excelle, which we'll likely get in more or less the same form as China.

 

I wish some interior pics were leaked. The car doesn't look too bad.

 

it looks like they had a mandate to make it more generic and more like the Mazda3 for the American crowd, where it would be sold as a Saturn. there's nothing wrong with the shape except that there are elements of the design that are borrowed. i like the front end a lot, though it speaks malibu in many different languages.

 

I definately noticed the car, and I'm sure tons of people did too. They also noticed the higher than Ion entry level price tag on the car...and Gas mileage that was shameful for that segment/price in a time period where mileage was a huge selling point.

 

Lexus has a compact car in the IS. I believe Buick will get the Astra and later a Cruze. I think that Buick has made great strides with the Enclave, the new LaCrosse and new Regal (whenever it comes out). To appeal to a younger generation, you have to have the product to do so. That is what these attempts are for.

I don't know why you couldn't have a Chevy version of it. Maybe they will get a version of it. I don't know why you wouldn't call it a Cruze 5 door or something.

The marketing, exchange rate that made the car unprofitable... several problems. We could probably go one for awhile about all the problems the Saturn version had.

 

Gee, another 4-door...

 

Look closer it has 5 doors.

 

Comparing the IS to the Astra is akin to comparing a BMW 3-series to a Cobalt. Just because they are the same size doesn't mean they're anywhere near the same caliber of car.

 

Wonderful...

 

Agreed 100% AFAIK the IS isn't a hatch either. When I saw this the only thing I thought was "VW Golf". The Golf/GTI isn't a competitor for the IS, why would the Astra?

That being said, I really like the styling of the Golf GTI, so I like this car a lot too. Hopefully it has a fun amount of power in it, unlike the current Astra.

 

I think it's possible we will get the Astra sedan rather than the 5 door for Buick for the U.S. Market. The TwinTop would be nice, too.

I'm not sure what the point of having the Astra and the Cruze would be - they're already essentially same car under the skin. We'll end up with a Delta II Buick of some kind that's a variation of one or the other.

Let's get an LNF in there for an Astra GS.

 

That looks MUCH better than the current 5 door Saturn / Opel Astra. Much, much better. Also better than the Mazda 3 5 door, no question.

Rear hatch opening looks a little small (in the name of style and/or structural rigidity, I guess).

I'd love to see that car here, I don't give a damn what they call it (but Buick would be a stretch...).

Is there going to be a 5 door Cruze? Or is that what that Chevy concept (Orlando?) is supposed to be, like the HHR is to the Cobalt?

 

There is going to be a 5 door Cruze for other markets, but I don't know if we'll get it here. It hasn't been shown yet.

The Orlando likely will essentially replace the SSR, but it's more of a people mover. I think it seats 7? So there's room for a Cruze hatch and the Orlando in the market, IMO.

 

I think you mean HHR.